His Little One
by lilyann78
Summary: After a break up between Lily and James, she and Severus became lovers. They had a daughter together but she was forced to take Harry and his baby sis into hiding. When she was killed, the baby girl was placed in the care of a muggle family.
1. Chapter 1

Author's note: This is my first fanfic so please keep that in mind. Also, your comments and reviews are not only welcome, but also appreciated. Thank you. I hope you enjoy the story. I do not own anything except the story line and the OC characters. J.K. Rowling gets all the credit for the original works.

Chapter:1

Severus Snape was busy packing. He would be heading to Hogwart's that evening to prepare for the arrival of the students in a few days. As he packed he wondered about what the first years would be like and what trouble Potter and his friends would be for a second year. Finished packing his books and clothes, Severus moved on to packing his personal items which included a small photo album. The potions master looked through the photo album pausing at a photo of a baby girl. The baby in the photo had silky raven black hair and eyes that shined like two emeralds sparkling in the sun. She was smiling at the camera and appeared to be just a couple days old. As he gazed at the photo of the smiling baby he got lost in a memory.

"_Sev, isn't she just perfect? She has your hair." Lily smiled at him. _

"_Yes she is. She has your eyes." he replied smiling at the love of his life. As he sat there holding his baby girl in his arms, he couldn't help but smile. Harry toddled over and climbed up on his mommy's lap and smiled at Severus. Harry might not be his child but he loved him just the same. He and Lily were going to be a happy family with Harry and their daughter. _

Suddenly the scene changed and he was remembering another memory.

"_I am sorry Severus, but Lily is gone." Albus Dumbledor spoke sympathetically._

"_What about the children? What becomes of them now?" he asked apprehensively._

"_Well, I think it best for Harry to be placed with his Aunt and Uncle, Petunia and Vernon Dursley. As for your daughter, I think it best we find a suitable muggle family to adopt her. It just wouldn't be safe for you or her if she were to live with you my boy." Albus answered calmly. Severus thought about what he had been told and reluctantly agreed. Albus handed him his daughter and he looked down at her. "I love you my little one and I always will. You will be safer if you aren't with me even though it breaks my heart." He kissed the 4 month old on the forehead and handed her to the man he regarded as a surrogate father. _

"_Make sure she is taken care of properly." he said to the older wizard. _

"_Don't worry my boy, your little one will be well taken care of and safe. Remember, Severus, you will see her again when she comes to Hogwart's at 11." Albus told him._

Severus closed the photo album and placed it in his trunk. That year would be the year that he and his daughter would meet again. She would be one of the first years that would be coming to Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry that year. Grabbing his trunk, he headed towards his study to floo to his private quarters at the school.

Meanwhile, at the home of the Weasley family, Albus Dumbledor sat talking to Mrs. Weasley. "Molly dear, I need to ask a favor of you." the Headmaster replied.

"What do you need for me to do Albus." Molly asked.

"Well, I know that you have to take Percy, Fred, George, Ron, Ginny and Harry to Diagon Alley and was wondering if you could perhaps take one more for me. She is muggle raised and therefore has no one to take her to get her school things."

"I would be happy to take her Albus. What is her name? I am assuming she is the same age as Ginny then." Molly said, smiling.

"Her name is Cadence Whitaker and yes she is 11 just like Ginny. Thank you for taking her Molly. I will have her here in a half hour." the Headmaster smiled with a twinkle in his eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Cadence Whitaker stood there, wide-eyed, in front of the entire Weasley family.

"Hello dear. My name is Molly Weasley and this is my husband Arthur Weasley. These are our children, Percy, Fred, George, Ron and Ginny. This is Ron's friend Harry Potter. Ron and Harry are second years, Fred and George are fourth years and Ginny is a first year like you."

"Hello, I'm Cadence Whitaker." she answers shyly.

Everyone greets her and then it is time to head off to Diagon Alley.

"Since this is all new to you, we are going to take our flying car." Arthur explains.

"A flying car?" Cadence says in surprise.

"Yes deary. Arthur enchanted our car so that it can fly."

"Oh wow that is neat." she replies.

The family and company all pile into the car and take off for Diagon Alley. Once they get there, Molly starts explaining the rules. "Fred and George, you two will go with Percy while Ron, Harry, Ginny and Cadence will come with me and Arthur. Now stay together everyone and meet back here in two hours. Boys you behave yourselves, you hear me?"

"Oh Mum, you don't have to remind us to behave. We aren't little children ya know." Fred and George complain at the same time.

Arthur just shakes his head and sends the three boys off. After that they continue head to Olivander"s wand shop.

"Now Cadence, this is were you and Ginny will get your wands. Step up to the counter deary, don't be afraid." Molly states as she gives the child a small push.

"Well hello and whom might you be, child?" Mr. Olivander asks.

"Cadence Whitaker, Sir."

"Well, Miss Whitaker, let's find you a suitable wand." Mr. Olivander pulls a 9 in. Willow and Unicorn hair wand out of a box. "Here ya go. Just give it a try."

She carefully took the wand and gave it a flick. That proved to be disastrous. Immediately, things began to fly of the shelf and break.

"Hmm, that won't do. What to try? Ah, I think I got it." Mr. Olivander then pulled out a wand made of maple that was about 11 inches and had a eagle feather for the core. "Ok try this one."

Cadence again took the wand and gave it a flick. This time nothing at all happened.

"Hmm, that isn't it either. Let me find another for you to try." Again Mr. Olivander goes to his shelves and pulls out a wand. "Try this one. It is 9 ½ Birch with a Raven feather core."

The child takes the wand and it immediately starts to glow. She can feel power just radiating through her.

"Curious. Very curious indeed. That wand is very much like just one other I have sold. The brother to your wand, Miss Whitaker, belongs to one of the professors at the school.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Cadence looks at Mr. Olivander curiously.

"Sir Can you tell me the professor's name?"

"Yes, Professor Snape, the potions master at Hogwarts." he replies.

Cadence is now curious but takes her new wand and joins the others. She is smiling and can't wait to see what they do and where they go next. Ginny has already gotten her wand so they are off to get their books.

While they are in the book store, Cadence sees this blonde haired boy staring at her. He has the most amazing gray eyes and his long hair is almost white. The boy walks over to her and introduces himself.

"My name is Draco Malfoy. You don't look like you belong with the Weasley clan."

"Hello Draco, nice to meet you. My name is Cadence Whitaker. I am here with the Weasley family at Headmaster Dumbledore's request."

"Whitaker? That sounds like a muggle name."

"That's because it is. I was adopted by Paul and Judy Whitaker when I was a small baby. All I know is that my birth parents were powerful people in the wizarding world. "

Draco smiles glad to find out that Cadence isn't a muggle born. He is really taken with her and would hate to have to be unkind to her because of being muggle born. Cadence doesn't know how she feels about this boy but something about him has her attention.

"Cadence, is Malfoy bothering you?" Harry walks up and asks.

"Why would you ask that? He has been a gentleman, Harry." Cadence replies.

"Well, Mrs. Weasley says it is time to move along. So come on." Harry says.

Cadence sighs and says bye to Draco. Draco smiles as he watches her walk away.

"Who was that Draco?" Lucious asks his son.

"Just a first year named Cadence. I hope she is a Slytherin. After all, we Slytherin are the best." Draco says smugly.

Meanwhile, Fred, George and Percy are having an adventure. Percy is chasing the twins while they run off towards the joke shop before meeting with the family. The rest of the family has completed their shopping and now wait with their things. Cadence has gotten all of the required school supplies and also a new familiar. Her familiar is a solid black cat which she named Onyx. She stands there petting Onyx and waiting to go back to the Burrow. She will be staying there for the next two nights before going with the Weasley's to board the Hogwarts express.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Sorry the last chapter was so short. I didn't mean to have be that way but it felt like a logical place to end the chapter. This chapter is a little longer. :) Thanks once again for all the wonderful reviews. I am glad everyone is enjoying this story. It is my first fan fiction, so seeing all the reviews, favorites and alerts has really busted my confidence and ensures I will continue the story. :) Thank you wonderful readers and reviewers! As always: Read, Review and Enjoy!

Chapter 4

Once they had everyone, they all piled back into the flying car and headed for the burrow. When they got there, Molly started handing out room assignments.

"Cadence you will be staying in Ginny's room. Hermione will be staying with the two of you when she gets here tomorrow. Harry dear, you will be in Ron's room of course. All right, off with the lot of you. Go and put your things away and then entertain yourselves while I get to fixing some dinner."

Ginny shows Cadence to her room and they put their things away.

"So what would you like to do? Ever play wizard's chess or exploding snap?" Ginny asks.

"No, but I would love to learn. Also could you tell me a little about the different houses at school?" Cadence asks curiously.

"Sure, there are four of them, Griffendor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin." Ginny continues telling her guest about the houses and the school.

"What house is Draco Malfoy in?"

"Oh, him? He is a Slytherin. My brother's and Harry don't like him. He isn't very nice." Ginny replies.

"Oh, he seemed like a perfect gentleman to me." Cadence tells Ginny.

"Children, dinner is ready. Come and eat while it is still hot!" Molly Weasley yells.

The entire house rushes to the table and enjoys a wonderful meal. Afterwards, Ginny and Cadence sit and listen to Fred, George, Ron and Harry tell them stories about Hogwarts. Whenever Professor Snape comes up, Cadence feels some weird connection. She doesn't want the other to laugh so she says nothing.

After about an hour or so, they all get bored and decide to start a Wizard's Chess tournament. Ron teaches Cadence the basics and she catches on quickly. Cadence seems to be a natural at the game and is soon winning against everyone except Ron.

"Wow, you are really good at this game Cadi. Is it ok that I call you that?"

"Yeah, that is find Harry. That is what my muggle family and friends call me. That or Cade." Cadence replies.

Harry can't help but be curious about the fact that Cadence's emerald eyes match his own perfectly. Cadence is wondering about the same thing but neither of them says a word to the other. They are having a great time bonding. All of the children are laughing and giggling away until Arthur informs them that they need to get to bed.

"Alright children. Off to bed now. You may read quietly in your beds but I had best not hear a bunch of noise." Arthur chuckles knowing full well the children will be talking upstairs.

Once in Ginny's room, Cadence changes into her green and black pj's and grabs her potion's book. She lies in the bed and begins reading. Ginny giggles when she sees the book her new friend chose.

"Wow, getting a head start? I don't blame you. It sounds like Professor Snape is really strict and that his class is difficult." Ginny whispers.

"I don't know, but this book is interesting." Cadence whispers back.

Ginny grabs a novel she has been reading and picks up where she left off while Cade reads the potion's book. She can't help herself. This book seems to interest her. She begins to think that despite Professor Snape sounding so mean, she may like the potion's class.

Eventually they all drift off to sleep and Cadence has a strange dream. She is baby again and she is looking up into eyes very much like her own. Also there is man with black hair and eyes that appear so dark that they are almost black. In his arms is a little boy with messy brown hair and green eyes like Cadence and the lady holding her. Everyone is smiling and Cadence feels so loved.

Morning comes and the children are awoken by Molly calling that it is breakfast time. When they get down stairs, Ginny, Ron and Harry get excited. Standing before them, is their good friend Hermione. The three run up to her and take turns hugging her.

"Hermione it is good to see you dear." Mr. Weasley says as he walks in.

"Cadence dear, this is Hermione Granger. She is a second year like Ron and Harry and a Griffendor like them as well." Mrs. Weasley says.

"Hello Hermione. My name is Cadence Whitaker. I am a first year like Ginny."

"Nice to meet you." Hermione says politely.

After that they all sit down to another great home cooked meal.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Breakfast was not a quiet affair. Of course, in the Weasley home, no meal was a quiet affair. The kids chatted with one another about the upcoming school year, while Molly and Arthrur chatted amongst themselves.

"So what is Quiditch really?" Cadence asks curiously.

"Bloody brilliant if you ask me." Ron replies.

"Haven't you ever heard of it before?" Hermione asks.

"Not really, I was raised by muggle parents. They adopted me when I was a baby." Cadence tells her.

"Oh that explains a lot." Hermione replies.

The children finish the meal and are dismissed from the table. They head outside, the twins, Ron, Harry and Ginny all bringing their brooms along.

Harry teaches Cadence how to fly his broom.

"Ok Cadi, just hold your hand over the broom and command it by saying up."

Cadence does as Harry instructs and the broom rises to her hand immediately.

"Very good. Now mount the broom like it is a horse." he says, trying to explain in a way that a muggle can understand.

Cadence once again does as she istold and Harry continues instructing her. Soon, she is flying around the yard, laughing happily. The freedom she feels on that broom is like nothing she has ever experienced.

Fred, George and Ginny join her in the air and they all chase each other for a few minutes until Cadence descends so that Harry can have a turn on his broom. Ginny decides to hang out with Hermione who hates flying so she gives her broom to Cadence. The children resume chasing each other around the yard. Everyone is amazed that Cadence can keep up with Harry.

After about two hours of flying, they decide it is time to do something else.

"Can we have another Wizard's Chess tournament?" Cadence asks.

"Sure sounds like a great idea." everyone agrees.

They all run into the house, putting the brooms away and head into the living room. Molly brings them out lemonade and homemade chocolate chip cookies. Cadence smiles.

"Thank you Mrs. Weasley. Chocoalte chip are my favorites."

"Mine too!" Harry replies with a mouth full of cookie.

"Harry, don't talk with your mouth full." Hermione scolds.

The others laugh. Soon they are all wrapped up in a very exciting Wizard's Chess tournament. It seems that Cadence is a natural and is proving to be a challenge for Ron. She almost beats him but he beats her just narrowly.

"Wow Cadi! You are bloody good at this game." Ron exclaims.

Cadence giggles. "Thanks Ron."

Hermione feels a pang of jealousy. She doesn't like the attention that Ron is giving to Cadence. She decides to intervene and get Ron's attention on her.

"Ronald, I have been doing some research and I think I discovered something you will be interested in." she says.

"Well, what is it then?" Ron replies.

Hermione shows him a spell she learned, that will tidy up a room.

"That's bloody brilliant Mione. You just have to teach it to me." Ron exclaims.

"Us too." the twins reply.

Hermione is happy to have attention again and they all settle down while she begins teaching the spell to her friends. By the time they all have it down pact, lunch is ready.

After lunch, they all go to their rooms to finish packing for tomorrow. The girls help each other check their things to be sure they aren't forgetting anything. The boys on the other hand, decide to goof off rather than do a good check on their stuff.

"We better go help the boys or they will never have everything packed." Hermione says.

"Good point Hermione." Ginny tells her.

So, the three girls head off to help the boys. First they go to Fred and George's room where they find the twins working on some of their joke products. The girls groan at them.

"Ladies, no need to be that way. You will get some great laughs at the things that you will see this year." Fred says.

"You should be packing you know." Hermione says.

Fred and George laugh and then get busy with their packing. The girls decide they are not needed there and head to Ron's room.

"Bloody hell, Mione. I am sure we can pack without your help." Ron grumbles.

Seeing that the girls are not about to let them be, the boys check their trunks to be sure they haven't forgotten anything. Hermione smiles as she watched the boys double check their things.

"Well, I think I am gonna just read a little before dinner." Cadence says.

She heads back to Ginny's room and pulls out her potions book again. This book fascinates her and she can't wait to get to school and start brewing.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

As she lays in her bed in Ginny's room reading, Cadence can't help but think. She feels so out of place. This is the world she should fit into but she has missed out on for the last 11 years. Even Hermione, whom is muggle born, knows more about her world then she does.

She gets up out of the bed and heads to the mirror. She stands there looking at her reflection. "Who am I really? Who are or were my parents? From what bloodline do I come?" she asks herself.

She has so many questions and no answers. She has no clue where to even begin. And Harry, why are his eyes so much like her own. Could they be from the same lineage?

Cadence lies back in the bed and pets Onyx.

"Oh Onyx, if only I knew more about who I am and where I really come from. I feel so alone and out of place." Cadence rattles on pouring out her heart and soul to her cat.

Little does she know, Ginny and Hermione have over heard her ramblings.

"We have to help her find the answers to these questions. We just simply must." Hermione whispers.

"I agree. Poor Cadence she seems so unhappy." Ginny whispers back.

Just as the girls are about to walk away, Arthur calls the kids to dinner.

Cadence gets up and walks out the bedroom door and runs right into Ginny.

"Oh sorry didn't realize you were there. How long have you two been out here?" she asks.

"Oh we just got up here when dad called." Ginny answers.

Then the three girls hurry down to dinner before the boys eat it all.

"So children are you excited about tomorrow?" Arthur asks.

"Excited and nervous, Sir." Cadence says.

"Please just call me Arthur, dear."

"Are you all packed? We will be leaving right after breakfast." Molly says to all the children.

They all nod their head in confirmation. The family and guest chatter away as they enjoy the meal. After they are done eating, the girls help clean up while the boys get Exploding Snaps out.

"Hey Cadi, you should come out here so we can teach you how to play." the twins yell.

"Go ahead, Cadence. Hermione and I will help mum finish up in here." Ginny says.

Cadence heads out to the living room to learn the game.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Hermione and Ginny start asking questions.

"Girls, I wish I could help you but I only know what you know. Dumbledore is the one you should speak with." Molly says.

"Mum could you talk with him? Please!"

"I suppose I can see what I can do but no promises, Ginny dear."

"Thanks Mum you're the best." Ginny says hugging Molly happily.

Once they finish in the kitchen the two girls join Cadence and the boys in the living room. They are all enjoying the game and Cadence seems to be a quick learner. Even though she has missed 11 years of the wizarding world, she seems to catch onto everything very quickly.

While the children play, Molly and Arthur contact Albus. They explain to him about the girls asking questions. Albus Dumbledore listens as they talk and then calmly replies,

"All will be told when the time is right but for now it is best for Cadence if it remains a secret."

Molly and Arthur bid good night to Albus and then watch the children for a while. After a few more hours it is time for bed.

"All right off to bed with you. All of you have a busy day tomorrow. Go on now." Molly says.

The children all head to their rooms and prepare for bed. Cadence checks her things one last time before climbing into bed with Onyx. Onyx curls up next to her and purrs, helping Cadence fall asleep. It isn't long before Ginny and Hermione are asleep as well.

The boys are a different story. They are all in bed but they are not sleeping. Fred and George are having a conversation about their joke products and Ron is talking with Harry about the Griffindor Quiditch team. Harry is the seeker and Ron hopes to be the keeper. The conversations continue well into the night.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"Breakfast is ready! Everyone up! We have to get to platform 9 ¾ on time." Arthur Weasley announces.

The girls come bounding down the stairs, wide awake and already dressed. The boys on the other hand come down slowly, looking as though they were just waking up. All of the children take their seats at the table and begin filling their plates. Well, everyone except Cadence, does anyway. She takes her seat and puts only a very small amount of food on her plate.

"Are you feeling alright deary?" Molly asks.

"I am fine, just a little nervous, Ma'am." Cadence replies.

"There is nothing for you to worry about dear. The twins have done this many times and Ron, Harry, and Hermione did it last year. I am sure they will help you." Molly tells her.

"Do all the students ride the train?" Cadence asks shyly, hoping that Draco will be on the train so she can maybe talk to him again.

"Yes, Cadence, they do. Even purebloods like Lucious Malfoy's son Draco." Arthur replies.

Cadence is happy about this news and eats her food.

After breakfast, they all go and fetch their things. Once that is done, the group is off to platform 9 ¾. Cadence looks around nervously. She sees platforms 9 and 10 but no platform 9 ¾. Not understanding, Cadence whispers to Hermione.

"Where is our platform? I see platforms 9 and 10 but I don't see any platform 9 ¾."

Hermione smiles. "It's because we have to go through the column between platforms 9 and 10. It is a magical platform. Only withes and wizards can get on to it. That way muggles don't find out."

"Oh. But how do we get through the column?" Cadence asks confused.

"Watch the others dear. The Twins will go first then the rest of you will follow." Molly says.

"Thanks Mrs. Weasley." Cadence smiles and says politely.

"You are welcome deary. Fred, George go ahead now boys." Molly says.

Fred and George each run at the column pushing their carts in front of them. Cadence watches in awe as they disappear from sight. Next she watches Hermione do the same.

"Ok Cadence and Ginny, it is your turns and I will be right behind you. Ronald, Harry you boys follow after me." The matriarch of the Weasley family instructs them.

Ginny goes first, running nervously at the column and disappearing. Cadence is really nervous and looks at Molly. She gives Cadence a reassuring nod and the girl runs towards the column like the others had. She braces herself for impact but is in awe when she comes out the other side. She almost falls over but a blonde boy catches her.

"Woah. Are you ok?" the boy asks.

Cadence looks up and sees that the boy is Draco Malfoy. She blushes.

"Uh, yeah I'm ok. Thanks for catching me." She says.

"You do remember me don't you?" Draco asks.

"Yeah, you are Draco right?" she says.

Draco nods and helps her unto the train with her things.

"So Cadence, how would you like to sit with me?" Draco says looking at her with those amazing eyes of his.

"Sounds like fun." She says smiling at him. How could she say no when she is so captivated by those eyes?

Meanwhile, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley have come through and are watching the conversation. They decide not to interfere and go about making sure the Weasley clan are boarded and settled. Everyone is so busy with the goodbyes and the excitement, that they do not notice that Harry and Ron have not come through onto the platform.

The train's whistle blows and the students all wave to their families. As the train pulls away, the students begin to chatter excitedly. Draco has already lead Cadence to his train car and is introducing her to Crabbe and Goyle.

"What is a first year doing here?" Goyle asks Draco.

"This is Cadence Whitaker and I invited her to join us. Dumbledore had her stuck with the Potter, Granger and the Weasley clan." Draco explains.

Crabbe looks at Draco dumbfounded. "We don't usually let first years sit with us." He says.

"Cadence, this is Crabbe and Goyle." Draco says while motioning for her to have a seat next to him.

The four students are busy chatting when Pansy Parkinson walks up. Draco doesn't look happy about it but says nothing.

"Well, there you are Draco. I have been searching for you." She says as she forces her way next to Draco on his other side. "Who's the new girl?" she asks snidely.

"This is Cadence, a first year. Cadence this is Pansy. She is a second year and a Slytherin like myself."

"Nice to meet you." Cadence says politely.

"What is she doing here?" Pansy sneers.

"She is here as my guest. Don't be rude Pansy or you may find yourself another car to sit in." Draco says with authority.

Pansy seems taken aback at his statement but says no more. She just sits there and pouts like a little girl. Cadence has to hide the giggle that is trying hard to escape at this. Soon the train is heading steadily down the tracks and Cadence is chatting happily with Draco and his friends. They are busy telling Cadence all about Slytherin house.

Hermione, Ginny and the Twins are busy searching the train for Harry and Ron. They are having no luck thus far and only have one compartment to check, the one that is occupied by Cadence, Draco, and his friends. When Hermione opens the compartment door, she is shocked.

"Cadence, is Draco and his group of morons giving you a hard time?" she asks.

"Not at all Hermione. We have been having a wonderful conversation. Is there something I can do for you?" Cadence says pleasantly.

"Have you seen Ron or Harry on the train? We can't find them anywhere."

"Nope haven't seen them since earlier."

"Ok well, if you do, please tell them we are looking for them."

"Ok I will Hermione." Cadence says.

With that the door is closed and Cadence turns back to her conversation with Draco. After a while, she yawns.

"We have a ways to go if you would like to sleep for a bit." Draco says sweetly putting an arm around Cadence and pulling her closer to him so that her head is resting on him.

"Thank you. That is very kind of you Draco." Cadence replies and closes her eyes. She is asleep within minutes and Draco sits there with a smile on his face. Pansy is not happy and sits there pouting again.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Sorry for the delay in updating before. I promise I will try not to let it be that long before. This chapter has a cliffy...but the more reviews I get the faster I will be encouraged to get the next chapter down. Hope you all enjoy. Read, Enjoy, and Review Please! Thanks for all the wonderful reviews thus far! You are the ones that keep this story going.**

Chapter 8

While Cadence sleeps and Hermione and the gang sit in their train car wondering what happened, Ron and Harry are busy trying to fly the Weasley family car to Hogwarts. They have just spotted the train about 5 minutes ago and are trying to follow it the best they can.

Meanwhile, Arthur and Molly are not pleased. The car is missing and they have to find somewhere to apparate from without being seen by muggles. They finally find a spot and apparate home. Molly heads to the kitchen to clean up from breakfast and Arthur sits down in his chair to read The Daily Prophet.

Hours later…

It has become dark and the Hogwarts Express is getting close to its destination. Cadence is still sleeping and Draco wakes her gently. Cadence yawns and stretches.

"Did you have a nice nap?" Draco asks grinning at her.

"Yes thank you. Are we almost there?" She asks excitedly.

"Yeah so you better get your school robs on. Let me get them down for you." Draco says.

Cadence thanks him and watches as he gets them down and hands them to her. Pansy just sits there scowling. Draco was never that nice to her but yet he was being nice to this stupid little first year.

Cadence got her robes on and sat next to Draco admiring the symbol of a snake on his robes. She notices that Grabbe, Goyle and Pansy's robes all have the same symbol. Also they all have green trim on their robes.

"Are you all in Slytherin?" she asks timidly.

"Of course we are. What house do you think you will be in?" Pansy says in a haughty tone.

"I don't really know…The Weasley's, Hermione and Harry all want me to get Gryffindor." Cadence replies. She then smiles at Draco and adds, "but I would kind of like to be in Slytherin house. I heard really great things about it."

Pansy rolls her eyes, Grabbe and Goyle kind of chuckle and Draco smiles at Cadence. The five students sit there in silence for a moment before Cadence speaks up again.

"So is it true that the head of house for Slytherin is Professor Snape, the schools Potions Master?"

Draco smiles proudly at the mention of his godfather. Speaking with pride he looks at Cadence and answers, "Yes it is true. I think you will like him. Professor Snape is magnificent with potions and is the best head of house Hogwarts has.

"I hope I get Slytherin then. Mr. Olivander said that his wand is similar to mine. I am not sure what that means but I am curious about it. I would love the chance to get to know more about Professor Snape. He sounds interesting yet scary. Harry doesn't seem to like him but I don't know why."

"Well, perhaps it is because Harry is a dunderhead when it comes to potions." Pansy sneers.

"Perhaps." Cadence says simply.

The train finally comes to a stop and it is time to get off. Pansy can't wait to get away from the annoying first year so she grabs her stuff and gets off. Grabbe and Goyle are next, and then Draco helps Cadence get her things off the train.

"Ok leave your things here. They will be taken to the castle for you. First years always ride the boats to the castle. That big oaf over there is Hagrid the groundskeeper and he will be the one directing you." Draco explains.

"Thank you Draco." Cadence says hugging him.

Draco blushes and sends her on her way, whispering in her ear, "See you at the sorting. Good luck. I think you would make a fine Slytherin."

"First years over here!" Hagrid calls.

Cadence makes her way over there and stands nervously. She watches as the other years are lead away in carriages that seem to be moving on their own. She then spots Ginny and stands near her.

"How was the train ride Cadence?" Ginny asks.

"It was amazing, Draco was so nice." Cadence says.

"Malfoy nice? Are you feeling ok?" Ginny says jokingly.

Cadence giggles and nods. She hopes that she and Ginny can still be friends even if they are in a different house.

Hagrid ushers them into boats and she and Ginny sit together. Soon they are approaching the castle and Cadence is in awe.

"Oh my, she is so beautiful!" Cadence exclaims.

Ginny just smiles. Having older brothers meant that she had already seen the castle or at least been told about it. It was fun watching Cadence experience it for the first time.

Meanwhile, Severus Snape paces nervously near the gate to the castle. "In a short while I will see my daughter for the first time in 11 years. I wonder if she will be sorted into my house." He says to himself. Soon it is time for him to head into the great hall and he takes his seat at the staff table. It doesn't take long for the first years to enter and be lined up, waiting to be sorted.

Cadence and Ginny stand there nervously while that sorting hat gives its usual speech. Soon Professor McGonagall stands up and begins calling names one at a time. When a name is called that student walks up and takes a seat on the stool. The sorting hat is then placed on their head and they are sorted.

"Abigail Andrews" Professor McGonagall calls and a blonde haired girl approaches the stool. The hat is placed on her head and immediately calls out, "Hufflepuff!"

The Hufflepuff table cheers and welcomes Abby as she takes a seat.

"Anthony Cleves"

A dark haired boy sits and is sorted into Ravenclaw. His new house mates welcome him.

One by one, the students are sorted. Cadence's eyes wander over to the staff table and are immediately stuck on the dark haired guy sitting there. He seems to be kind of looking at her as well. She feels as if she knows him from somewhere but can't place where. She is lost in thought and doesn't hear her name called out.

"Cadence Whitaker are you here?" Professor McGonagall asks a little annoyed.

"Sorry Ma'am. I am here." She says timidly.

"Well, for Merlin's sake child, take a seat on the stool so you may be sorted."

"Yes Professor." Cadence says politely while sitting.

Professor McGonagall places the hat on her head.

"Curious." The hat says.

This causes Cadence to startle a bit but she quickly calms as the hat continues to speak to her.

"It seems that your mum was a Gryffindor and you would do alright there but your dad is a Slytherin and you would do well there. Where to place you…Hmm…I got it! It has got to be…"


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Severus looks up just as the hat is about to make the announcement and realizes who this student is. It has to be his daughter. He wishes silently that the hat sorts her into his house so he can be closer to her.

"Yes, I am quite certain that the house best for you is…" the hat says.

Cadence is getting impatient and wants the hat to just make the announcement already.

"SLYTHERIN!" the hat shouts and cheers erupt from the Slytherin table.

Cadence looks over at her new house and sees Draco smiling at her. He waves her over to take a seat next to him. Pansy is scowling. She is not happy about having this girl in her house.

Cadence walks over to Draco and takes the seat next to him.

"Welcome to Slytherin. I knew you had to be a snake like the rest of us." Draco says.

"Thanks. The hat thought about putting me in Gryffindor but decided on Slytherin instead." Cadence says.

"Thank Merlin that hat realized the best house for you." Draco replies.

Cadence just smiles and watches the rest of the sorting.

Professor Snape can't help being pleased. Now he would be able to get to know his daughter. Things were certainly looking up this year. He didn't know what he would do if she had been place in Minerva's house. His daughter a lion? That would have been a tragedy in his opinion.

The sorting soon finished and the headmaster had given his speech. The feast appeared on the tables and the students began to eat and chat. Draco and his friends are busy welcoming Cadence and some other first years to the house while Pansy sits there grumpily.

"Wow I haven't seen this much food ever in my life." Cadence says as she munches on some mashed potatoes.

"Yeah we have a feast like this every year." Draco tells her.

"Cool. I think I am going to like it here. But I am worried about the classes. I hope they aren't too hard for me." Cadence says.

"If you need help, just let me know. It will be my pleasure to help you." Draco says in reply.

Cadence smiles and she and Draco go back to eating. Soon they are greeted by Professor Snape.

"2nd through 7th years you are dismissed to the common room. Prefects, please make sure that everyone knows our password. First years, I am your head of house, Professor Snape. You will follow me." Snape says.

Cadence listens to the professor with awe. Something about him seems so familiar even though she has never met him. She and the other first years follow him and listen as he tells them some rules.

"You will be in the common room by curfew every night. Curfew for first years is 9pm on week days and 10pm on the weekend. Sunday through Thursday are considered week days and Friday and Saturday are the weekend. You will be in bed no later than 10pm during the week. On the weekend, it is completely up to you, as long as you are in the common room on time. Any questions regarding curfew?" Professor Snape says.

"What happens if we are not in by curfew?" a brown haired, grey eyed boy asks.

"There will be consequences for any and all rule breaking. I will decide the punishment depending on the crime. Missed curfew will get you at the least detention with me but could earn you a trip to my office as well. What is your name young man?" Snape answers looking at the boy with a stern glare.

"Philip Fizzlebottom, Sir." He answers.

"Mr. Fizzlebottom, it would do you well to heed what I say. A trip to my office is not an enjoyable affair."

"Yes Sir."

"Now, I expect all of you to work hard and put an effort into your school work. I will not accept failure from my students. Follow the rules and do well, and we will get along just fine. If you need anything at all, my office is always open to you. Please do not hesitate to come see me if you need to. I will be requiring all of you to meet with me individually, at least once a week." Professor Snape continued as he led his students to the dungeons.

Cadence was feeling slightly overwhelmed but continues to listen and follow the professor. As she is walking along though, another first year trips her and she falls.

"For Merlin's sake child, do try not to be so clumsy." Professor Snape says to the girl who tripped Cadence.

"Sorry Sir." The girl says.

"Cadence, are you ok?" he asks his daughter not realizing he used her first name.

"Uh yes Sir, I am fine." Cadence replies a little stunned.

Looking at the girl who tripped her, Cadence says, "Hi. My name is Cadence Diantha Whitaker."

"Hello. My name is Allison Mable Ferngate." The girl replies.

The two girls walk next to each other until the group stops in front of a portrait. It is of a man who looks a lot like Professor Snape.

"This, students, is Ignatious Prince. He is the keeper of our common room entrance. If you wish to enter you will have to give him the password. Currently, our password is Gillyweed." The professor tells his students.

The portrait slides to the side revealing a door way which the professor enters. The students follow him and are in awe of the room they see. On the other side of the door way, is a grand room filled with tables for doing homework or whatever, comfy seats to sit in and a fireplace.

Cadence notices her familiar curled up in a chair by the fire and smiles. Then she notices that Draco and the others are already here. Draco comes over to her and smiles.

"Well, what do you think? Amazing right?" he asks her.

"Wow. It is definitely amazing." Cadence replies.

The two are chatting for a few minutes when they are interrupted by Professor Snape.

"Pardon the interruption, but I would like to meet with you for a few minutes, Miss Whitaker." He says.

"Yes Sir. See you when I return, Draco?" Cadence says.

"Of course." Draco replies.

With that, Cadence follows Professor Snape out of the common room and towards his office. She is nervous and wonders what she could have possibly done wrong already. They walk in silence because Cadence is nervous and Snape doesn't quite know what to say yet.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Severus leads Cadence to his office and opens the door. He goes in and motions for her to do the same.

"Please have a seat Miss Whitaker." Professor Snape says while motioning to a chair in front of his desk.

He then takes his seat behind the desk. Cadence sits down where indicated and looks at him expectantly. The professor clears his throat and chooses his words carefully.

"Every year, I meet with my first years in order to get to know them. I have asked you here for that reason. Now I understand that you have been raised by muggles. Is this correct?"

Cadence listens carefully to her head of house and nervously wrings her hands. She relaxes a bit once she realizes that she isn't in any trouble.

"Yes Sir that is correct. I was adopted by a muggle couple. I was told that my mother is dead and I don't know anything about my father." She answers politely.

Severus listens to his daughter. He hears the sadness in her voice and sees it in her eyes as she speaks of Lily and him. He wants so badly to tell her the truth but knows he cannot. It is still not safe for him to do so.

"Have they treated you well? I know that is a very personal question but I need to be sure that none of my students are being mistreated at home. I have had some in the past that were being poorly treated. Please know that you can trust me Miss Whitaker." Professor Snape says.

Cadence squirms in her seat uncomfortably a bit. She didn't want to tell the kind professor that her adoptive parents didn't like or want her. She didn't want him to know that she was such a screw up. Finally, she realizes that she must tell him. She clears her throat and speaks softly.

"Well Sir, they gave me food and a place to live. For those things I am grateful. However, they had to discipline me frequently. I have a knack for messing up and being clumsy Sir." When she finishes speaking, she has to wipe a couple tears from her eyes.

Severus senses that she is hiding something from him and decides to try to get her to open up more. He finds it hard to believe that she could possibly be in need of that much correction. He looks at her a moment and then speaks.

"Please explain to me, Miss Whitaker, what kinds of things did you receive punishment for and how were you punished?" He asked her kindly.

Cadence looks at her hands while answering him. She explains that she seemed not to be able to do the simplest things correctly and that she would be yelled at, spanked, stood in the corner and sometimes grounded as well. Severus noted that although, it seems she was punished when perhaps she should not have been, it didn't seem as if she had been abused physically. He was relieved at that but concerned about her emotional and mental well-being.

"I assure you Miss Whitaker, that you are NOT a screw up. It was wrong of them to make you think that you were. Some of the things you were punished for were simple acts of accidental magic which all young wizards and witches experience. While you are here at Hogwarts I want you to forget the notion that you are a screw up and just do your best. Is that clear?"

Cadence nods her head and answers the professor quietly.

"Yes Sir."

Severus smiles a little and then tells her that she can come to him with any problems that she may come across. Cadence thanks him for his concern and promises to indeed come to him if needed.

With that, Professor Snape rises and indicates for her to do the same. He then leads her back to the common room where Draco is waiting for her. Severus can't help but smile to himself when he sees that his godson and daughter have already become friends. He knows that Draco will look after her. She is in good hands here at the school. He heads to his quarters for the night and relaxes by the fire.

Meanwhile, Draco greets Cadence with a hug. They talk about her meeting with the professor while they sit by the fireplace. Cadence's head is leaning against Draco's side and they are both smiling. Pansy is not happy about the scene and secretly plots to change Draco's opinion of the stupid first year.

Soon it is time for them to head to their dorms and get some rest. After standing up, Draco kisses Cadence lightly on the forehead, making her blush.

"Good night Cade. Sweet dreams." He tells her.

"Good night Draco. Rest well."

With that they both go their separate ways, Draco heading towards the second year boy's dorm and Cadence towards the first year girl's dorms.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The next morning, Pansy wasted no time trying to make Cadence look bad. As the raven haired girl walked past her to take a seat for breakfast, Pansy tripped her. Cadence ended up knocking pumpkin juice on to the lap of a fifth year Slytherin boy. The boy looked at Cadence angrily which scared her.

"Look what you've done. Watch where you are walking you clumsy girl." He shouted at her.

"I'm sorry. I must have tripped over something." She told him timidly.

Pansy was giggling happily at the scene. At least she was until Draco walked up and put an arm around Cadence protectively.

"Is this jerk bothering you Cadence?" Draco asked her.

The boy glared at Draco and didn't give Cadence a chance to answer.

"This is none of your business Malfoy but if you must know, this clumsy little oaf spilled pumpkin juice all over me. Maybe you should teach her how to walk." He told Draco.

Draco glared back at the boy and pulled Cadence closer to him when he felt her tremble a little. He didn't like how the guy was talking to and about Cadence and was prepared to put him in his place.

"Do NOT ever talk about her like that again. She isn't a clumsy oaf and she can walk just fine. It seems to me, you are the one that needs to be taught a lesson here." Draco hissed as he was pulling out his wand.

Before he could do anything, Professor Snape walked up behind the other boy.

"Mr. Malfoy, unless you want to spend your evening in detention with me, I strongly suggest that you put your wand away. NOW and tell me what in Merlin's beard is going on here." Professor Snape said.

The other boy tried to walk away but Professor Snape grabbed him by the collar of his robe stopping him in his tracks. The boy gulped. No one, not even the Slytherin house, wanted to face an angry Snape.

"Not so fast Mr. Keddle. I did not excuse you." Snape said snidely, "Now, Mr. Malfoy, please tell me what all this commotion is about."

Draco swallowed the lump in his throat and tried to speak up confidently. He didn't want to be in trouble with Snape or get Cadence in trouble with him either.

"Well, when I walked up, Arnold Keddle was harassing Cadence. Apparently, she tripped and knocked pumpkin juice all over him on accident. I am sure she didn't mean to do it Sir." Draco explained.

Severus looked at Cadence and his expression softened just slightly. He was sure that she had not done it on purpose but he had to get all sides of the story.

"Miss Whitaker, is that true? Did you spill pumpkin juice on Mr. Keddle?" he asked her.

Cadence was nervous and could not bring herself to look him in the eyes. She answered him very timidly.

"Yes sure. I tripped over something and the pumpkin juice spilled in his lap. Before I could explain to him that it was an accident, he started yelling mean things at me. I was trying to apologize and explain when Draco walked up. It was truly an accident, Sir. Honest, it was." She replied.

Severus thought for a moment then turned to Arnold. He was certain that both Cadence and Draco were telling the truth but he had to give the other student a chance to give his side.

"Well, Mr. Keddle, is there anything you would like to add?" He asked the boy while glaring at him.

Arnold glared at the other two for a second and then looked back at the professor.

"No sure. I guess I just overreacted." He mumbled.

"Well, see to it that you don't do it again, Mr. Keddle, or you will find yourself in detention. Now everyone carry on with breakfast. You had best not be late for class." He said and then walked away.

Draco made sure Cadence was ok and then lead her to a seat at the table. As he sat down beside her, he noticed the smirk on Pansy's face. He realized at that moment why Cadence had tripped. He was sure that Pansy Parkinson had tripped her. He glared Pansy, letting her know that he knew what she did. He vowed to make her pay for it.

"Cadence are you ok? You look pale." Draco said turning his attention back to her.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little flustered I guess." She said while putting a little food on her plate.

After breakfast, they headed to their classes. Cadence had transfiguration first while Draco had potions with the Gryffindor second years. Draco told Cadence how to get to her class and then said bye to her. Cadence thanked him and said bye as well. Then they were off to their classes.

Transfiguration went ok but Cadence was glad that only first years were in her class. She was sure that Pansy would have totally enjoyed making fun of her when she failed to turn her match into a needle at first. By the end of class she had managed to do it successfully but it had taken her many tries and a little help from Professor McGonagall.

From there, Cadence headed to flying lessons. Having been raised by muggles, Cadence was had absolutely no experience with this and was quite nervous. It turned out her fears were unfounded. Apparently the girl was a natural. In fact, Madam Hooch had told her that she was almost as good at flying as Harry Potter had been in his first year. She remembered Harry from her trip to Diagon Alley with the Weasley family. He was the boy with eyes that matched hers. She found it kind of curious that not only did she have the same green eyes as this boy but also seemed to fly as well as he did in his first year.

Soon it was time to head to the Great Hall for lunch and Cadence couldn't wait to tell Draco how her morning classes had gone. She was smiling as she walked into the Great Hall and found a seat at the Slytherin table. Her smile was quickly forgotten when Pansy started teasing her.

"Poor little Cadence, I hear you had a spot of trouble in Transfiguration today. Maybe that is the real reason your father gave you to muggles to raise. I bet he was embarrassed because he knew you would a dunderhead." Pansy said.

Severus was upset when he overheard what Pansy was saying and saw his daughter's head lower. He knew that she was close to tears and wished that he could do something to help her. He was relieved when Draco entered and sat down beside her. Draco seemed to be good at cheering Cadence up. By the time Professor Snape had walked up to Pansy, Draco had gotten Cadence smiling and shut Pansy up.

"Miss Parkinson, I will not tolerate any bullying amongst my house. I want to see you in my office immediately after dinner tonight. Do NOT forget." He told her and then walked away with his cloak billowing behind him.

Pansy glared at Cadence. She couldn't believe that she had gotten into trouble and she blamed Cadence for it. Cadence just smiled back at her which made Pansy even angrier. She shoved her plate aside and left the Great Hall. Cadence and Draco smirked as they watched her storm out.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Draco and Cadence finished their lunch and Draco stood up. He offered his hand to her in order to help her up to her feet. She blushed and took his hand. Once she was on her feet again, they were standing quite close. Draco leaned in and kissed her forehead.

"Enjoy your classes. I'll see you at dinner." Draco said with a smile.

"Thanks Draco. See you at dinner!" Cadence replied and then walked away with a smile on her blushing face.

Cadence went to her next class, Herbology. During Herbology, Cadence was doing okay until she was paired with a brown haired boy that had a crooked nose and hazel eyes. His name was Rupert Gallowson. He was a know it all and was also a first year Slytherin. Professor Sprout had just finished giving directions and the children were set to work potting some kind of weird plant. As Cadence put the dirt in the pot, Rupert spoke to her quite rudely.

"You are doing it all wrong! That's not how it's supposed to be done you dunderhead!" Rupert glared down at Cadence since he was taller than her. "Give me that! I'm not going to get in trouble and fail just because of you."

Cadence tried to ignore the boy and continued to work on potting the plant. Rupert soon got angry and grabbed the pot away from her. They began arguing and caused a disruption to the entire class. Professor Sprout was very unhappy as she cleared her throat to get their attention.

"Miss Whitaker and Mr. Gallowson! You will both report to me immediately after dinner tonight to serve a detention. I will also be sending a report to Professor Snape, your head of house. That kind of behaviour will NOT be tolerated in my classroom." the angry Professor Sprout shouted at them.

Class was soon dismissed and the sullen Cadence made her way to Potions. She had been looking forward to this class all day but now...now she was too upset to even think about being excited. She had gotten her first detention on her very first day of class. To her, it was proof that she was a screw up and she was sure that Professor Snape would think so too.

Rupert arrived at potions at the same time as she did and shoved past her into the room. As he took his seat, Professor Snape looked at him sternly. Then his stern gaze turned to his daughter but what he saw broke his heart. The girl couldn't even bring herself to look up at the professor and just sat in her seat dejectedly. He could tell she was beating herself up mentally about whatever it was that had happened with Rupert in Herbology. He would get to the bottom of it later. For now, he had a potions class to teach and he was anxious to see if his daughter had gotten any of his abilities.

Cadence started to forget about what was troubling her as she got into the potions lesson. She was able to answer the questions without fail and by the end of the class, she had brewed a perfect potion. Professor Snape was very proud of her. However, as the children got up to leave, there was a little matter that he had to attend to with both her and Rupert.

"Mr. Gallowson and Miss Rupert, I need a word with the two of you, NOW. Have a seat." the professor said in his stern voice.

Rupert seemed annoyed and glared at Cadence. Cadence just nodded, very near tears and sat back down in her seat. Professor Snape came and stood between them with his stern and scary look on his face.

"Professor Sprout has informed me that the two of you were not behaving in her class and have thus earned a detention tonight. Is that correct?" Professor Snape said while glaring at his pupils expectantly.

"Yes Sir." Cadence said timidly. "I'm very sorry Sir."

"It was that dunderhead, Cadence's fault Sir! If she had just let me do the lesson, neither of us would be in trouble." Rupert whined.

"ENOUGH!" Professor Snape growled at Rupert, making Cadence jump a little. "I will not tolerate you belittling another member of Slytherin House. Is that understood Mr. Gallowson?"

"Y..yes Sir." Rupert replied with all of his attitude gone now.

"Now, the two of you will report to my office after your detention. Do NOT try to get out of it or the consequences will be worse. Have I made myself clear?" Professor Snape said as he looked at both children.

"Yes Sir." Both students said in unison.

"Very well, you may go." the professor said, dismissing his pupils.

Cadence got up and ran out of the room. She was already crying by the time she reached the Slytherin common room. As she entered, she was determined to go straight to her dorm but Pansy was there and was not going to have it.

"Oh look what we have here. The poor little first year is crying like a baby. What's a matter? Is the liddo baby home sick? Did she get a liddo boo boo?" Pansy laughed as she taunted her.

Cadence just pushed past her and was about to enter the first year girls' dorm when Pansy called after her.

"Oh I know what's wrong, I heard all about you making a scene in Professor Sprout's class because you are such a dunderhead that you couldn't even pot a plant correctly. Snape is going to have your behind for this for sure!" Pansy sneered.

Cadence ran into the dorm and threw herself on her bed, hiding her face in her pillow and crying. She hadn't even heard Draco calling to her or what he said to Pansy but the rest of the Slytherin that were in the common room sure did.


End file.
